The Green Knight's War: Shield and Sword
by Yin Blaze
Summary: Monica Kruszewski survives the destruction of both her Knightmare and comrades, and finds herself a combatant in the War for Purity, a rebellion of former nobles and purebloods after the death of Lelouch vi Britannia. No pairing as of yet. R&R, folks!
1. Chapter 1: The Green Knight Falls

Author's Note: Greetings, everyone! I got bored, and decided I'd try something new for a change. After watching Code Geass, I noticed that despite getting almost no character development and getting killed off almost immediately, Monica Kruszewski has a rather large fan following. So I decided I'd write a fic about her for fun.

Disclaimer: Yabbada yabbada, Code Geass is not mine. Yabbada yabbada penguin.

Note: Set during and after R2.

…...

Like hundreds of metal birds, the Knightmare Frames flew upon their mission of destruction. The combined forces of the leftover Knights of the Round were descending upon Pendragon, intent upon their mission of deposing Lelouch vi Britannia.

"Alright. We will approach Pendragon from the West. Our first goal is to land at a facility a kilometer outside of the city, and recover the confiscated Knightmares of Knights of Twelve and Four. Once we have recovered the Lamorak and the Lionel, we will proceed to enter the city. Knight of Three, Gino Weinberg, will lead the assault on the palace from the main entrance alongside The Knight of Twelve. I personally will lead our remaining Vincent Wards in an aerial assault on the palace, reinforced by Knight of Four, Dorothea Ernst." Bismark's ringing voice echoed over the communication channel, bringing Monica snapping back to the present.

"Yes, sir!" Monica joined in saying along with the rest of the pilots.

"We swore our absolute loyalty to Charles zi Britannia. We'll never recognize this damned usurper!" Bismark continued, Dorothea joining into his speech this time.

Suddenly, Dorothea's voice came over the communication channel.

"Huh? An interceptor! But there's only one of them…" She trailed off.

Sure enough, a large white form rose from the facility outside of Pendragon, extending large green wings. Then, as soon as it appeared, it suddenly launched itself at Dorothea and the vanguard.

"I can't track it! Look out!" Dorothea warned. Seconds later, a bolt of green suddenly tore through her Vincent Ward. Her screams of surprise and pain were the last things that sounded over the communication channel.

The Galahad was sent on the run as the Lancelot Albion appeared overhead, raining down a storm of missiles upon the rest of the forces. In seconds, hundreds of Knightmares were obliterated, taking their pilots lives with them.

"This is the power of a ninth-generation Knightmare frame?" Monica gasped in shock. Suddenly, the Albion appeared directly in front of her, its VARIS cannon already trained directly at her. "SUZAKU KURURU-" Monica began to curse in surprise, but was cut off.

The VARIS fired, and a storm of blue and red light was all she could see.

She vaguely felt pain as the flames licking at her skin, and the sensation of falling through cool air as her Vincent Ward's cockpit, blasted free entirely from the rest of her Knightmare, fell toward the ground far below, spitting flames as it dropped hundreds of feet.

"Damn… it… He killed me… so easily…" Monica gasped.

And with a sickening crunch and a jarring impact, Monica dropped into unconsciousness.

…...

Footsteps. The sound of metal being scraped across the ground. A cry of surprise. The vague sensation of being picked up and placed onto something. The thing beneath her was so comfortable. The sound of a weak groan. Was that her voice? She felt so far away.

Darkness.

The next thing she knew was the sound of beeping and movement. Monica could hear a conversation all around her, but she couldn't pick out the words. It was as if she was at the end of a tunnel hearing voices echoing from deep inside.

Darkness.

She couldn't see anything, although she could still hear faint shuffling and the ever-present beeping.

Light.

Monica opened her eyes, and found herself lying on a bed in a wooden room. She sat up, but immediately regretted this, as pain racked her entire body. Clearly, she'd suffered severe injuries, she mused.

The room was mostly empty, except for the bed she sat on and the medical equipment she was hooked up to. Across the room was a tall man with dark hair wearing a white coat. He seemed to be placing things into a cabinet, things Monica quickly identified as articles of clothing.

The door opened, causing more light to stream into the room. Monica blinked repeatedly, unable to stand the brightness.

A woman's voice echoed through the room. "Has she woken or moved yet, Jethro?" The large man turned to a small woman in blue standing at the door. "Not that I can tell, Sandra." The man responded, shaking his head. "It's a miracle she survived that fall. She was badly beaten about in the crash, I'm afraid. She's in no danger of dying, since we fixed the damage the fall did to her bone structure, but I'd venture to say she's still in a lot of pain."

"What a shame. I haven't been able to discover who she is yet either." The woman said sadly. "And that man who claims to be her friend is still pestering me about letting him see her. I asked him who she was, but he said she wouldn't want her name given out. I tell you, I don't trust that man. On top of that, she's in no condition to have visitors right now anyway." The woman, Sandra, said, exasperation in her voice.

"I see. Well, I'll tell you if she s-" The man began, turning around, but stopped as he saw Monica looking up at him. "Blimey, she's awake, Sandra!" The man, Jethro, said, smiling and walking over, his height causing him to loom over the infirm pilot. "Can you speak, miss?" Jethro asked.

Monica opened her mouth, and as she did so realized that it was extremely dry. She spoke as best she could, her hoarse voice cracking as she did so.

"Water." Was all that came out. Jethro nodded, and turned. "Sandra, the miss here says she's thirsty. Could you go get her a drink?" The man said. Sandra nodded and left the room, quickly returning with a large glass of water. Monica tried to reach up and accept it, but found that she could scarcely move without a bolt of pain ripping through her. She gasped slightly in pain, and Jethro, realizing the state she was in, took the glass of water and lowered it gently to Monica's lips. Monica gave a slight nod of thanks, and drank up the water thirstily.

"So miss, who are you?" Jethro asked.

Thoughts rushed through Monica's head. "They said there was a man looking to meet me, but he wouldn't say who I was. Who would do that? Gino? Bismark?" Monica wondered. "But why wouldn't they say my name? Maybe they wanted to protect me from the new emperor? Yes… This is the medical building of the facility where they're keeping the Lamorak. I recognize it now. That means these people serve Lelouch. So that explains why they wouldn't say my name. But wouldn't they be recognized? Unless, of course, they're disguised… Damn. I'm still no closer to finding out who's trying to contact me. And I can't reveal who I am to these people. I guess I need to try and arrange a private meeting between myself and this mysterious friend, without divulging anything." Monica suppressed a grin as she thought up an adequate plan. Instead, she faked a very accurate look of panic, and said nothing.

"What is it, miss?" Jethro asked, slight worry in his voice this time. Monica still said nothing. "Miss?"

"No, no, no! It's no use!" She said. The panic she faked seemed to be working.

"What's wrong? What's no use?" Jethro asked.

"I… I can't remember anything at all." Monica said fearfully.

"You've lost your memory? A shame, but not entirely unexpected. Don't worry, miss. I'm sure you'll remember soon enough. For now, just rest." Jethro said. He motioned to Sandra and both of them left. "We'll come check on you regularly to make sure you're doing alright. Next to your hand are some controls. If you need anything, just press the big blue button that says "Call." You can adjust the position of your bed by pushing the other buttons, and you can turn on that television across the room by pressing the buttons on the remote here." Jethro instructed. Monica nodded feebly, but then let a look of confusion spread across her face.

"What's a television?" She asked.

"Oh, silly me! The television is that big box over there. You can playback some images and sounds on it, like the news, which is what's going on in the world today." Jethro walked back over and demonstrated the television's functions and how to use the remote to Monica. After he was done, he quickly left, closing the door behind him.

"I guess now I just have to wait." Monica muttered to herself.

…...

Author's Note: So, how'd you like chapter one? Read and review, folks, and keep your eyes open for chapter two! Have a nice day!


	2. Chapter 2: Three's Message

Author's Note: Well, Chapter 1 got me so many views that I figured I should go ahead and do chapter 2. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass.

…...

The days went by in a blur. Oftentimes, Monica would sleep entire days, still weak from her crash. Although she was occasionally asked questions about her memory, the two doctors Sandra and Jethro mainly didn't bother her about it. She was now able to move painlessly, although walking was still a problem for her.

One day, while she was eating, a massive purple flash lit up the sky. Monica tried to leave her bed to see what had happened, but ended up nearly collapsing at the door to her room. The doctors found her and brought her back to her medical bed, forcing her to sleep.

Monica woke up early the next morning, and turned on the television. The news was playing, and a large shot of a desert landscape was showing onscreen. In the center was a massive crater, on the edge of which were some small buildings.

"Breaking news. Yesterday afternoon during negotiations between the UFN and Emperor Lelouch vi Britannia, the capital of Pendragon was struck by a warhead from the flying fortress Damocles, under the orders of renegade prince Schneizel el Britannia. There are no known survivors of this attack. Fortunately, the Emperor was absent, and so was not harmed…" A commercial break kicked in, leaving Monica sitting them contemplating what had happened.

"The entire capital… wiped out?" She murmured quietly in shock.

The door just then swung open, and a tall figure strode in. He was wearing a large purple hat of the type usually worn by nobility, and his other features were obscured by a large cloak. He spoke in a jovial, even slightly boyish voice.

"Ah, so you do remember, don't you Monica." Said the man. Monica turned curiously toward him. "Who are you? By Monica, do you mean me? As I've already told the others, I can't remember a thing." Said Monica, managing to keep her façade up reasonably well.

"Aww, don't play dumb with me, Monica. It's me!" The man took off his hat, and Monica couldn't help but let slip a look of surprised recognition, then a knowing smile.

Knight of Three, Gino Weinberg grinned, brushing some of his hair out of his eyes. "Miss me?" He asked, grinning broadly.

"Not particularly, no. So you're the one who's been inquiring about me, huh? What happened to our forces?" Monica asked quietly after making sure there was no one listening.

"Well, I'm not sure what you mean by your first question, but as answer to your second one… We were soundly beaten. Suzaku killed every last one of them with his new Lancelot Albion. He even got Bismarck. As far as I know, we're the only ones who survived the fall once our Knightmares were taken out." Gino shrugged. "Poor guys. Who'd had thought old Suzaku would have been so merciless?"

"Then the Tristan?…" Monica trailed off.

"Yup. He smashed it up too badly to be repaired. The good news, though, is I'm getting a new one, which is why I'm here to fetch you and the Lamorak, and the Lionel too if possible. Schneizel has joined forces with the Black Knights and is going to use F.L.E.I.J.A. missiles from his new flying fortress to get rid of Lelouch. We're hoping you'll help us out. Willing to?" Gino asked.

"Lelouch. That bastard killed Emperor Charles and shamed me. I was supposed to protect him, but Lelouch's allies threw my fleets into complete chaos! I was so busy I never even realized Charles had been killed." Monica said, anger clearly audible in her voice. "And then his puppet Suzaku shamed me again by shooting me down so easily. Of course I'll join you. As soon as I've recovered I'll fetch the Lamorak and help you." Monica said.

"But therein lies the problem, you see." Gino said. "And this brings me back to your first question. Someone's been trying to get an audience with you. We have no idea as to who they are, or what they want. My guess is that if they think you've lost your memories, they'll want to try to recruit you for something. If you haven't forgotten, well, they'll probably want to kill you, or at least bring you before Lelouch."

"Why?" Monica asked, slightly surprised.

"Your guess is as good as mine, Monica. But anyway, that means I'm going to need to stay here and watch over you incase they try something." Gino said. He sat down in a chair next to the bed.

Monica sighed, leaning back in her bed and brushing a large mat of her light blonde hair from in front of her eyes. "So really, I'm no closer to solving this mystery than I was when I first realized someone was looking for me. All I know now is where I'm going after I get out of here." She sighed.

"Well, at least you know you've got allies. That's a plus, right?" Gino said, grinning.

"You always do see the best in things, Gino. Alright, then, let's get down to business. I have an idea, but I'll need your help to pull things off. I'll tell the doctors that I'm willing to see whoever it is wanting to talk to me. I'll need you to hide somewhere and listen in. Maybe we'll be able to figure out who this person is. I'll need you personally there since they might realize I've regained my memory and attack me. Understand?" Monica said seriously.

"Okay, Monica. Just keep careful, and don't let on that you've regained your memories. I'll keep in contact through your window once everyone's gone." Gino said.

"Alright. Don't get caught, or they might realize I know more than I'm letting on."

"You know me, since when wasn't I stealthy?" Gino grinned. However, as if in mocking response to this comment, a voice came from far down the hallway outside, saying "Hey, I think I hear voices. Is that woman we rescued talking to someone?"

Gino jumped slightly, and scratched his head sheepishly. "Gotta go!" He whispered, and leaped out the open window.

Seconds later, Jethro entered the room.

"Hello, miss. Was there someone in here just now?" Jethro asked curiously.

"No. Why?" Monica asked, dropping back into her quiet, curious persona.

"I thought I heard voices. Guess that was just the visitor next room over making noise. So how are you feeling today, miss?" The man asked jovially, bringing her a plate of toast and a large glass of water.

"I'm feeling great. Maybe I'll be able to walk again soon." Monica said, smiling as she ate the food quickly.

"Well that's great, miss!" Jethro said. "By the way…" Jethro's voice lowered at this point. "there's a strange man who's been wanting to see you. So far I've been telling him you're not well, but apparently he's found out you're fully aware again. He's been pestering me and Sandra about it quite a bit." He said.

"Well didn't you say he claimed to be my friend? Maybe you should let him come talk to me? It might help me remember who I am." Monica suggested calmly.

"Hmm… I don't know. Seems like a dodgy sort of fella, but if you want to meet with him…" Jethro trailed off.

"Okay. Next time he accosts you, tell him he can see me. Maybe I'll recognize him." Monica said, smiling.

"Alright, miss. I'll be leaving you for a while now. Call me if you need anything." Jethro walked quickly from the room.

Monica leaned back, and looked at the ceiling through the obscuring folds of her long hair.

"So Gino's here to keep me safe and fetch me for Schneizel, but someone else wants me on their side too. And Emperor Lelouch thinks and wants me dead. Fortunate for me that I look so unassuming, and that I was wearing a regular pilot's uniform. If I'd been wearing my Rounds cloak, I'd probably be imprisoned by now." Monica thought. "But why would people want me so badly?" Monica pondered this question until she slowly lapsed again into sleep.

…...

Author's Note: Sorry for the lack of anything important in this chapter. But don't worry! The action will start picking up next chapter! ^^ Read and Review, folks!


	3. Chapter 3: The Rise of the Lamorak

Author's Note: Well, I have nothing else to do, so I figured I'd write a third chapter today. A reviewer told me "Please update!" and so update I shall! Now that the stage is set, it's time for the plot to get rolling! Read and Review! ^^

Disclaimer: I still do not own Code Geass.

…...

Monica awoke, looking up at the relatively clear sky out of her window. Seeing the large crater in the distance, it was hard to believe that a city had once stood there.

However, her reverie was brought to a sudden end as a large face suddenly appeared in hers, a broad grin plastered upon it.

"Hey, Monica! Any new developments!" Gino said, grinning. Monica slumped backward and sighed.

"I've instructed the doctor to arrange a meeting with the one who's been looking for me. Hopefully, everything will be revealed soon." Monica said.

"Well that's good news. I have good news as well." Gino said, grinning. He held up a small green object, shaped like a wedge and trimmed with gold.

"The key to the Lamorak! So you're already working on getting us out of here?" Monica asked.

"Affirmative. You catch on quick." Gino grinned widely.

"Well, that's good news. You should keep that for now, since I might be found with it and questions would be asked. But how did you get it?" Monica cocked her head curiously.

"Pretty simple, actually. I found the head mechanic and stole it from him. He didn't even notice it was gone." Gino grinned.

"I expected as much. Hopefully, there won't be much of a fuss when they realize it's gone. But that means we need to hurry. I've already recovered almost enough to walk well. Once we know who's after me, we need to leave as quickly as possible. But Gino… We're going to need some way to distract the guards long enough to get to the Lamorak, right?"

"Not to worry, not to worry! I've already got something set up." Gino grinned. "I sabotaged some of the energy fillers for the base's Knightmares to explode when I push this detonator." Gino said, holding up a large button.

"Clever. Just make sure one of those fillers doesn't blow up the Lamorak." Monica said.

"Don't worry about it. Everything's going according to-" Gino was cut off by footsteps coming very close. "Sorry!" Gino dived below the windowsill as the door swung open.

A man with light brown hair and eyes, so much so that the latter neared red, entered the room. He was tall, nearing about 6 feet, and wore a black tunic under a high-collared white military coat trimmed gold. Several medals and large gold pauldrons with rubies at their centers dictated that this man was clearly important. The door closed behind him, and Monica thought she heard the rigid clack of soldiers taking up guard posts outside.

The man smiled calmly, smugly even. "Greetings, rogue Knight of Twelve, Monica Kruszewski. You have been wondering who was looking to meet with you. That person is myself, although I had remained incognito hoping not to be associated with this. I am Brigadier General and former Grand Duke Dietrich Hughes of his majesty Lelouch vi Britannia's army. Now then, I have a proposition to make." The man smirked at the look of surprise that momentarily crossed Monica's face. "Pretending to have lost your memories was a clever tactic, but don't underestimate me. I had a bug planted in this room, so I know all about your meetings with the Knight of Three. Gino Weinberg, you may stand. Concealment is useless. I know you're there." Dietrich smirked as Gino slowly rose from behind the windowsill. "Now then, down to business. You see, the Hughes family is an old one, a family of pure Britannian stock. We prospered under the rule of Charles zi Britannia, the emperor who the two of you formerly served, and recently failed to avenge. We are of the same mind, you and I, Monica. You see, as you know, Lelouch has abolished the aristocracy and elevated the numbers to our level. This limits our opportunities for glory, prosperity, and power. But say someone Lelouch trusted, his loyal general, for example, suddenly gathered an army of skilled pilots, led by the remnants of the Knights of the Round, and managed to depose him, as you sought to. You had not the manpower to succeed, but with legions at my command, you could with me. We could bring back the aristocracy, and those who have inherited the nobility of generations would once again rule over those who are unfit to lead. In return for joining me, I will hide both of you from the emperor and will return you to your glory as Knights of the Round once we retake the empire. What do you say?" The general grinned widely.

Gino replied first. "Sorry, but you can count me out. You see, I'm all for getting rid of Lelouch, but bringing back the nobility that was what caused Lelouch to turn out like he did? You say they've inherited the nobility of generations, but I wasn't aware that "nobility" was something kids could get from their parents." Gino grinned at the slight shock that registered on Dietrich's face at this comment. "What, surprised I don't believe in your nobility? If you recall where I came from, I didn't respect racial or class differences even as a young boy." Gino smirked. "It's no different today."

Monica forced herself to her feet, and grinned. "I think I'm going to have to agree with Gino on that one. The forces of the nobility have let us down too many times before, and honestly I don't think you have the power to face someone like that so-called "Knight of Zero," Suzaku Kururugi." Monica grinned.

Dietrich grimaced, and then sighed.

"Well, I suppose that since you've recovered all your memories, and you have decided to side against me, I'll just have to turn you in. Even if you aren't helping me kill Lelouch, you're still helping me earn his favor so ultimately I can take control." Dietrich snapped his fingers, and immediately five Britannian elite guards entered the room. "Gentlemen, these two individuals are actually the former Knights of the Round. Kill them." Dietrich said, turning and leaving the room. The guards saluted, a chorus of "Yes, General!" echoed through the room as Dietrich left. They raised their rifles.

At the same time, Gino raised a conspicuous red button, and pushed down upon it. A large explosion rocked the complex, and the guards stumbled their weapons misfiring. Gino reached through the window, grabbing Monica and swinging her over his back before sliding down the embankment toward the Knightmare hangar. Sirens echoed through the base, and soldiers were running everywhere as smoke rose from behind the medical building.

The guards quickly recovered, dashing to the window and opening fire on the two fleeing Knights. Monica cringed as one of these bullets tore through the right side of the white medical jumpsuit she wore, but it left her unharmed.

Gino cleared the slope and took off at a run for the backdoor of the hangar. Technicians and pilots were running in panic from the any exit, and black smoke was belching from the building behind them.

"Nice work, Gino. You really did some damage." Said Monica, grinning. Gino nodded in reply, and dashed into the building.

The hangar was full of flames. Several bodies littered the floors where Knightmares being put through maintenance had suddenly exploded. However, two Knightmares stood, miraculously unharmed.

The closer of the two was about five meters tall, and painted a dark green with gold and gray trim. Its head unit was sleek, with two gold factsphere sensors built into its deep green surface like eyes, sitting between two streamlined antennae which arced backward off the head. The shoulders were large, like long gray spikes protruding forward off the Frame. These concealed high-power Hadron cannons. The arms were long, and heavily armored, bedecked with plates of green and gold, with long, wedge-shaped silver wrists guards that tapered to a deadly looking point. Looking closer, one would realize that these were Slash Harkens, made larger by being charged by a Maser Vibration system. Under these plates were hidden Blaze Luminous shield generators meant to protect the Lamorak's arms. On the undersides of the wrists were two large barrels housing heavy anti-armor repeater cannons.

The Lamorak's torso was heavily armored near the top, looking like a third spike between the two Hadron cannons, but it soon grew thinner near the waist of the Frame, evidently to provide greater mobility. The torso was mainly green, although gold lined it. On each side of the waist was a large plate shaped like two wedges. These were actually pairs of Slash Harkens. The gray and green legs of the Frame were also fairly lightly armored, ending in the land spinners below. On its back was a green integrated flight system, its two large gold prongs extending like more antennae from behind its back.

The second knightmare was of a similar design, except it was entirely cyan. Its head had only one antenna, protruding like a spike from the back of its head, and a single factsphere sensor like a lone eye in front of this. Instead of the dual Maser Vibration Slash Harkens, it instead had only light plating. In its left hand, it held a large, black lance. Instead of Hadron cannons on its shoulders, it had triplets of Slash Harkens. The Lionel had the same leg design as the Lamorak, only more heavily armored, and also had an integrated flight unit on its back.

However, there was one difference between the two Knightmares. The Lionel, unlike the Lamorak, was active, its Factsphere sensor glimmering as it acquired its targets.

"DOWN!" Monica warned, pulling herself from Gino's back and pushing him down behind a large pile of Knightmare debris just as the Lionel opened fire on them.

"Damn it! Who's piloting that thing?" Gino wondered aloud. This inquiry was answered sharply by an all-too-familiar voice from the Lionel's loudspeaker system.

"Hello again, Gino Weinberg. That pilot would be me. I'm surprised that you made it past all my guards carrying that infirm girl. Obviously I should have listened to your plans longer before I made my move. Otherwise I'd have heard about what you were going to do to escape. But unfortunately for you, your escapades end here, Knight of Three. Today, you die." Dietrich Hughes' smug voice echoed through the hangar.

"That bastard. Alright, Monica, we need to make a break for the Lamorak. I'll distract him and force him to exhaust his ammunition in his wrist cannons, you dash for the Lamorak. Here's the activation key." Gino tossed Monica the key. "You think you can make it, though?" Gino looked concerned.

"Yeah. Don't worry about me." Monica grinned. Gino smirked back before dashing out from cover and pretending to make a break for the door.

"Trying to run away? Take this, you traitorous SWINE!" Dietrich opened fire with all the cannons, bringing down the exit door and forcing Gino to dive behind a support pillar as the bullets raked the hangar. Dietrich continued firing, bringing down the pillar and part of the roof. Gino just barely dived out of the way in time.

Dust filled the air as Gino rose to his feet, looking upward at the lone light of the Lionel's Factsphere Sensor searching the debris for him. It would be seconds before he was found, and then it would be all over. The dust cleared, and Gino found himself looked directly up at the Lionel as it raised its cannons.

"Goodbye, Knight of Three!" Dietrich's cry of triumph was, however, cut short by the clicking of his cannons' empty magazines.

"Get away from Gino, you backstabbing elitist scum!" Echoed Monica's amplified voice as the Lamorak came online and launched its MVS Harkens at the Lionel, the left Harken shattering the Lionel's lance and the right Harken striking the Lionel directly in the heavily armored chest, sending it flying through the wall of the hangar.

However, the roof began to collapse above Gino. Thinking quickly, Monica darted forward, covering Gino with the Lamorak's Blaze Luminous shields. She reached a metal hand down, and picked up Gino, lifting him up to the cockpit which she allowed to open, the pilot's seat sliding out.

"Hop in, Gino, and sit tight." Monica directed. As soon as Gino was inside, Monica closed the cockpit and launched after the Lionel and Dietrich.

…...

Author's Note: Bit of a cliffhanger, but I felt this was a fitting place to end chapter. Please Read and Review! I'd like any form of constructive criticism. Thanks for reading!


	4. Chapter 4: Lamorak's Flight

Author's Note: WOW! In the first two days of release alone, I've gotten over a hundred visitors to this story. Thanks for reading, guys! Remember, I'd like any constructive criticism, so make sure to leave me a review! Thanks!

Disclaimer: Code Geass does not belong to me.

…...

Launching through to gaping hole in what was once the hangar wall, Monica immediately got a warning alert and barely slid the Lamorak out of the way in time as a Slash Harken cut across its side. Had Monica been even a second slower, this would have ripped entirely through the Frame.

"Damn you, traitor!" Dietrich cursed, now launching a storm of Slash Harkens at Monica, who raised the MVS Harken on the Lamorak's left arm and, covering it with a Blaze Luminous barrier, parried the Slash Harkens so as to wrap some of them around the Lamorak's arm, and got a firm hold on the bunch of them with its large metal hand. She the swung back this arm, pulling the Lionel forward, and then lunged upward with the Lamorak's right arm, firing both an MVS Harken and a storm of bullets into the Lionel directly below its left arm, breaking this off. Dietrich cursed again, but Monica paid him no heed, and instead occupied herself in ripping out the Lionel's weapons systems with her left hand.

However, the Lionel launched its leg-mounted Slash Harkens at close range, tearing through the leg joints of the Lamorak. Monica responded by launching her left-hand MVS Harken directly into the Lionel's side, sending it flying backward, and then lifted off, stretching the Lamorak's arms wide to expose the large Hadron Cannons in its shoulders. These launched, a torrent of dark red energy ripping across the base. The Lionel, running low on power, flung itself out of the way, but collapsed.

"Nice work, Monica! Finish that old guy off!" Gino said, grinning from behind her.

"With pleasure." Monica twisted a joystick, bringing the targeting systems to bear upon the Lionel. A beeping noise told her the cannons had locked on.

However, this beeping noise was overshadowed by a sudden alert that buzzed throughout the Lamorak. Looking at her tactical map of the area, she saw Britannian forces closing in all around her.

"Damn it! Gino, hang on back there! We're going to have to break through the encirclement to the West!" Monica had no time to lose, and so spun, launching the Lamorak through the air as fast as she could, hoping to escape from the Britannian army that had so suddenly appeared from nowhere.

Soon, the sea was in sight. Over it, Monica could see black dots everywhere closing in from the North and South.

"I don't think we'll make it out in time. They're moving in too fast!" Monica looked back at the radar, and saw a large Britannian airship closing in behind them, surrounded by a fleet of Knightmares. These Knightmare squadrons spread out in large wings, encompassing the entirety of Monica's tactical map. From the East, another airship with a similar retinue closed in, leaving Monica trapped in the center.

A radio transmission directed to them was picked up by the Lamorak's antennae. Monica sighed, pressing the button to listen to the message. What popped up onscreen was a man wearing a black uniform standing on what appeared to be the bridge of an airship. He spoke in a deep voice.

"Unidentified unit, listen closely. This is Black Knight Airship Zeta. Are you on our side, or with the Britannians?" The man asked.

Gino gave a muffled cry of victory, and poked his head up from behind Monica's seat. He gave a wide grin. "Hello, captain! This is former Knight of the Rounds, Gino Weinberg. Long time no see. I've brought us back a new toy, and a new friend to share it with!" He gave an overdramatic salute as best he could. Despite herself, Monica had to suppress a giggle at how lightly he was taking things.

"I take it your mission was a success, then?" The man asked. Gino smirked again and replied "Afirmative."

However, warning light began flashing, and a voice began playing inside Monica's cockpit. "Warning. Enemy craft within 500 yards, and closing." The Black Knight captain on the other end could evidently hear this as well.

"Very well then. We'll provide safe haven. You can enter safely at landing bay 2 on the lower side of the airship. While you're refueling and being refitted, we'll take care of these Britannian dogs. Over and out." The man said, saluting before the communication was cut off.

"Well, you heard the man, let's go." Gino grinned. Monica nodded and headed for the ship.

…...

As they entered the hangar, explosions were already erupting behind them as the Black Knights' front lines drove off the Britannian vanguard pursuing Monica and Gino. Once the two landed, Monica opened the cockpit and lowered herself and Gino down, stumbling as she reached the ground, as she still had not quite recovered. She leaned against the leg of the Lamorak, wiping sweat and a mat of now-unkempt blonde hair from her brow. The technicians and mechanics began working to maintenance the light damage done to the Lamorak while a group of Black Knight pilots who were in reserve escorted Monica to spare quarters to rest, and Gino to the bridge. Despite the noise of the battle outside, Monica simply collapsed onto her bed and fell asleep. By the time she awoke, the Black Knights were victorious and the Britannian forces were now holding position some distance away.

Her stay on the airship was brief. Most of the time, she slept while Gino arranged transport and the Lamorak was serviced by the mechanics. However, they were given a large shuttle to carry themselves and the Lamorak to where they were needed: the Damocles. Taking leave of their new comrades, they launched from the ship, and set off for Japan, formerly called Area 11.

…...

Author's Note: Well, this was a fun chapter to write. I hope you guys are enjoying this, as I'm trying to hurry to the main plot. Again, please tell me how I'm doing by reviewing. It only takes a few seconds. Thanks for reading, folks!


	5. Chapter 5: Mad Skies

Author's Note: Another torrent of views! The readers are certainly providing a STORM OF LOYALTY! Anyway, I must ask again to please review, because I really want your opinions on how I'm doing, what I need to improve, etcetera.

Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass.

…...

Monica's eyes flashed open, taking in the ceiling above the cot in which she was sleeping. Looking around, she noted the white metal floors and walls of the shuttle around her, and the small hangar bay in the stern of the ship, where the newly refurbished Lamorak was kneeling, made as compact as possible due to the lack of space on the small shuttle. Monica stood up, brushing some dust and lint off her new pilot's jumpsuit, and again pulled on her boots before walking forward into the cockpit. Gino was kicking back in the pilot's seat, watching as the shuttle flew along on its course.

"Good morning, Monica! Had a nice sleep?" Gino grinned.

"Yeah. Thanks for doing all this flying for me. I probably should have had a go and let you get some rest." Monica nodded, returning the smile. "I can take over now, if you want."

"No need. Look ahead of us." Gino gestured out the view port.

Ahead of them was a tall white shape, obscured by clouds, hovering over the snowcapped peak of Mt. Fuji. Around it were hundreds of airships of various sizes, all bearing the crests of Prince Schneizel el Britannia or the Black Knights.

"This is quite an armada." Monica mused quietly. Gino grinned. "The enemy's got the advantage of numbers, though. Look over there. Troops are already launching from bases on the far side of Fuji. My guess is that there'll be a battle in about an hour or two." He explained.

With a beeping noise, the face of a tall man with long, jet black hair appeared on their ship's computer screen.

"Greetings from the alliance, Gino, and to you, Monica Kruszewski." Li Xingke said, giving a respectful nod to them. "The Tristan Divider is complete, and the two of you are to take up positions near the Damocles. The Divider is on the Giant's Sword, the battleship nearest you. Good luck. Over and out." He faded off the screen.

"Huh. He's a man of few words." Gino said. "But ah well. He's right. We'll have time to talk about things later." Gino finished, maneuvering the shuttle toward the indicated airship.

Monica looked out the side of the port window watching as the enemy vehicles rose into the air.

Somewhere among them was 99th Emperor Lelouch vi Britannia, the man who Monica had sworn she would avenge herself upon.

…...

The shuttle landed in the bay of the Giant's Sword with a clang, and the bay doors in the back opened. Monica, already inside the Lamorak, strode out into the hangar and then exited her Knightmare. She was met by the former Knight of Six, Anya Alstreim, holding her prized red phone and carrying a mass of green cloth under her shoulder.

"Memory recorded." She droned calmly. "Hello Knight of 12. How have you been?"

"Anya." Monica nodded respectfully. "I haven't been well, but at least I'm alive."

"Good. I saved this for you." Anya said, holding up the cloth, which was actually Monica's old Rounds cloak. Monica took it gratefully, and smiled as she slid it over her shoulder. "Thanks, Anya."

"You're welcome. Gino Weinberg, come with me. The Tristan is in the next bay." Anya motioned for Gino to follow her, and walked calmly out of the hangar. Gino followed quickly.

Monica strode over to the hangar bay and looked out of it, letting the wind sweep through her long hair.

"This place looks so peaceful. But how long will it last?" She wondered aloud. A particularly hard gust of wind sent her hair and newly recovered cape sweeping out behind her.

Monica reached down into the inside her of cape, and took out a long, red strip of cloth. She wound it around her hair, pulling it into two tails that ran over each shoulder, and using it to hold the rest back behind her head. She then stood there, and simply looked outside.

A voice interrupted her reverie, sending nearby birds flocking from what was to become the battlefield.

…...

"Lelouch has spread panic and turmoil all across the globe. As the enemy of peace, he must be wiped out." Schneizel's voice echoed across the fleet intercom. "It is time for the Black Knights, and for us, to cast aside the grudges of the past and join forces. The people of the world are waiting for our song of victory. I pray that for all time, this shall be the last battle in the last war than mankind will ever need to fight. All forces, launch and enter formation. Knights of the Round, you will each command a unit."

Monica strode quickly back to the Lamorak, and climbed in, powering it up. The flight system kicked in as she launched from the hangar, taking her place in the center of the ranks in front of the Damocles.

The next thing she knew, the battle was beginning.

…...

"All forces, move into attack pattern Sigma. Extend ranks outward and encircle the enemy forces." Schneize ordered. Complying, Monica moved the Lamorak forward as the other ranks began moving toward the flanks. In response, the enemy forces began to split toward the left.

"Gino, take your unit and check their extending left wing." Schneizel ordered.

"Yes, your Highness." Monica saw the Tristan Divider moving forward along with its allies. In response, the enemy began to pull back. "Gino, halt your advance now." Gino gave a questioning look over the communications feed. "Sir, but why? We should strike while they're in disarray." Gino asked, confused.

"No, it's a false opening. I'm not buying it." Schneizel said simply.

"Sixth unit, follow Anya to the northeast. Elevate 40 degrees. Twelfth unit, move to the front lines to support." Schneizel ordered. Monica moved forward as directed, the ranks around her doing so as well as they moved to reinforce the front lines. "Anya, stop there, rise 200 meters, and stabilize." Anya followed these orders without question.

"All forces, forward. Twelfth unit, spearhead the charge. Wedge formation." Schneizel ordered.

"Yes, your Majesty!" Monica replied, launching forward near the point of the wedge. Her forces followed her quickly.

The enemy forces responded by advancing in turn, headed directly for Monica's forces.

"Xingke." Schneizel said a single word, however this sent the entire left flank into action. Xingke, followed by Kallen Kozuki, Kyoushiro Todoh, and Nagisa Chiba, and all of their units rushed forward, beginning to push through Lelouch's battle line at the center when they joined with Monica's forces.

The Lamorak shot forward at the head of the wedge, evading a storm of missiles from a large orange craft and impaling a Gareth with its MVS Harkens before letting loose with a shower of Hadron Cannon fire into the ranks. The enemies began to flee from the assault.

"Push forward! Don't lose our momentum!" Xingke ordered. The charge was redoubled, and the forces began pushing through.

A blur of red tore past Monica, sending the Lamorak spiraling out of control as the Guren S.E.I.T.E.N. rushed forward, ripping into the enemy vanguard. After a reprimand from Xingke, Kallen pulled back, but took several enemy Knightmares down before doing so. Xingke, meanwhile, launched a fierce attack with the Shen Hu's main cannon, entirely obliterating an enemy dreadnought as the attack continued.

"All wings, spread. Ikaruga, fire bow-mounted Hadron Cannons." Schneizel ordered. A chorus of "Yes, your Majesty!" echoed over the communication channel in response. All of the Knightmares split outward, revealing the Ikaruga as it deployed its cannons, releasing a torrent of energy that obliterated most of Lelouch's wings.

Monica was just preparing to rush forward and attack again, however, the rumbling of the ground below them cause her to halt.

Suddenly, the cap of Mt. Fuji erupted in flames that leaped skyward, cutting their way through the Alliance's forces like a scythe. Hundreds of vehicles went up in flames all at once, and were at once silenced.

Monica got lucky. Thinking quickly, she triggered her Blaze Luminous shields and climbed as fast as possible, blocking most of the flying debris, although she took several glancing blows, battering the Lamorak around her. Looking below, she saw her entire unit wiped out and the Ikaruga rapidly falling.

"This is Monica. Unit 12 is down, along with Ikaruga. The Lamorak is running at 92 percent capacity, though. What are my orders?" Monica asked, hovering high above the catastrophic explosion and looking down in shock.

"All forces, pull back to the Damocles and guard its flanks." Schneizel ordered. In response all the remaining troops did as asked, moving to each side of the massive flying fortress.

And as they did so, a loud explosion was heard. Looking down, Monica saw a single pink missile flying toward Lelouch's ranks.

"So that's what destroyed Pendragon." Monica said to herself, watching as several of the Imperial Knightmares moved forward, stabbing their lances into the F.L.E.I.J.A., detonating it prematurely.

The enemy forces were now in retreat, and the battle lines were pulling apart. The Ikaruga sat on the edge of a lava lake in the remnants of Mt. Fuji, evacuation shuttles pulling away from it, fleeing like rats from a sinking ship.

BANG.

Another F.L.E.I.J.A. struck home, obliterating more of the retreating Imperial forces.

"Advance." As ordered by both commanders, both sides reformed their battle lines and again launched forward, engaging in battle once more. Monica spun the Lamorak on its side, launching it forward and slashing two Vincent Wards to pieces with its MVS Harkens before launching a barrage of anti-armor cannon fire and Hadron Blasts forward into the next rank of Knightmares. Next to her, she saw Gino hacking through wave upon wave of oncoming enemies with the Tristan Divider.

"Split!" Came the order, and so the forces of the alliance again suddenly pulled aside as another F.L.E.I.J.A. cut an empty swath through the Imperial ranks. The alliance forces again closed in from the flanks, crushing the Imperials' main battle line.

Suddenly, a spinning orange ship came tearing forward, launching a storm of missiles and Slash Harkens at the Damocles. Monica barely swung the Lamorak aside as they collided with the Damocles' Blaze Luminous shield. A rain of green projectiles and blue blasts of energy came from below as well, striking the shield again and again.

Monica looked at their source, and her face contorted in rage.

"Suzaku… KURURUGI!" Monica snarled, aiming her Hadron Cannons at the Lancelot Albion. However, a bolt of white and red suddenly blocked her.

"Stop, Monica! The Albion's in a completely different league. You know that as well as I do. Don't attract his attention. His attacks aren't harming anyone right now." Gino's voice came over the intercom.

"But… Gino!" Monica protested.

"Don't do it, Monica. He'll just shoot you down again, and you might not get so lucky this time." Gino replied. Monica let out a roar of anger and instead turned her cannons on the enemy forces as they massed to rush the Damocles directly.

However, a storm of attacks suddenly came from behind the Imperial forces, doing heavy damage, and two units of Knightmares suddenly rose up behind them, the Shen Hu visible at the lead.

The Albion suddenly pulled off from its attack, and launched at the Shen Hu at high speeds, quickly destroying one of its Slash Harkens with its Maser Vibration Sword, and engaging it in a duel. The Albion danced circles around the Shen Hu, and was just preparing to finish it off when suddenly it was struck from behind by the Zangestu as Todoh slashed downward with his Breaker Sword, nearly disarming the Albion. However, the Albion counterattacked again, slashing off first the Zangestsu's arm and then bisecting it. Todoh's ejection pod flew from the explosion, but was caught by Nagisa Chiba's Akatsuki. She held onto the pod while firing a vicious salvo of attacks at the Albion, sending it rising upward.

The Shen Hu, taking advantage of the distraction, fired its main cannon downward upon the flagship, the Avalon. It struck through the Blaze Luminous shield, shattering one of the engines. The alliance forces circled in attempting to board the Avalon, and although some were destroyed by the Albion, most of the craft landed successfully.

As the final craft landed, a Knightmare launched from the Avalon bay like a black jet. The other Imperial forces rallied around it and it tore forward into the battle like a bullet.

The Shinkiro had launched.

Three links in the massive Blaze Luminous around the Damocles vanished, and a pink bolt tore from it, flying toward the Shinkiro.

Seconds before impact, the Albion suddenly appeared in front of the Shinkiro, and a long pole detached from the Shinkiro's side.

"Huh? Is that a lance?" Monica said in surprise.

The Albion flung this lance directly into the oncoming missile.

The light suddenly began to fade and shatter, and the explosive reaction fell apart.

"What?" Monica cried out, aiming a barrage of fire at the oncoming charge as the Shinkiro entered the Blaze Luminous, and held it open with its own long enough for the Imperial forces to enter the Damocles.

"Damn it!" Monica cursed, watching as explosions raked the side of the Damocles. As the Blaze Luminous shield closed, Monica shot toward it. She noticed Gino doing the same thing.

"Prince Schneizel, units 12 and 3 were both obliterated. Please, reopen the Blaze for a moment. Gino and myself will enter and prevent the enemies from taking control." Monica requested over the communication channel.

"Very well then. Good luck, Knight of Twelve."

A small hole opened in the barrier, and Monica and Gino entered the Damocles, following the forces that had entered.

…...

Author's Note: Whew. I got a bit carried away with this one, but I think I held true pretty well to the canon. Again, please tell me how I'm doing! Thanks!


	6. Chapter 6: Madder Skies

Author's Note: Sorry about the delay on this chapter. I just wasn't sure if I should write it since I wasn't getting any requests or anything. Remember, please review! I want your requests and criticism. Also, include an OC character in your review to have them appear as a villain or possibly hero in the later, post-R2 chapters. And now that that's said, let the show begin!

Disclaimer: Code Geass is not a donut, nor does it belong to me.

…...

"Gino, you intercept the Shinkiro and take out the emperor. I'll intercept the other forces, and hopefully that bastard Suzaku!" Monica entered a hangar a floor above where the Shinkiro and Lelouch's forces had entered the Damocles, and noted the Tristan Divider below her breaking through the wall to attack the enemies.

Monica gunned the Lamorak, and crashed through the wall into the corridor outside. She readied her weaponry for when the enemy Knightmares would arrive.

…...

The Shinkiro was shooting along the hallway, following the Lancelot Albion, when suddenly, the Knightmare behind it erupted in flames and crashed into the ground. Lelouch let out a shout of surprise and turned, already preparing his Absolute Defense Barrier.

Standing where formerly his rearguard had been was the Tristan Divider, the section of wall it had burst through still smoking behind it.

"Lelouch, I refuse to accept you and your Britannia!" Gino shouted, and sent his Knightmare flying forward, slashing downward with one of the severed halves of the Galahad's Excalibur, now made into a weapon for the Tristan Divider.

Lelouch swung up the left arm of the Shinkiro, raising the barrier just in time to parry the strike. However, the barrier collapsed afterward.

"What? How is it so powerful?" Lelouch exclaimed in surprise, raising the right arm as well to block another strike from the Tristan. This barrier too collapsed. Lelouch shot backward, launching the Zero cannon and striking the Damocles' Blaze Luminous shield, sending a shower of energy raining over the corridor. The Tristan Divider barely slid aside, avoiding the deadly shower of energy.

The Lancelot slid in between the two, Maser Vibration Sword already drawn for combat. Suzaku's shout of "Gino!" echoed over the Lancelot's speakers.

"Suzaku." Gino grimaced. Fighting his old friend was going to be hard, but he had to stop him.

Gino readied the Tristan's weaponry, and saw Lelouch fleeing the scene.

"Coward!" He shouted, flinging one of his swords into the back of the Shinkiro. He saw Lelouch fleeing the wreck as it exploded in a shower of flaming debris. However, before he could stop him, Suzaku again blocked his way, slashing downward at him. He parried the strike with the remaining half of Excalibur, and skidded backward.

"So you insist on fighting me, Gino?" The Lancelot Albion stared down the Tristan Divider, sword in hand and wreathed in the smoke of the Shinkiro's explosion.

"Yes. I'll do whatever it takes to protect something I love." Gino said, the Tristan Divider similarly ready as the two faced off.

"And I'm fighting for the same reason!" The Lancelot raised its sword, however, Gino moved first. Flying across the room, he spun, slamming the Tristan Divider's blade into Suzaku's defenses. He only barely moved his weapon in time to defend himself. However, he pushed back, the overpowering strength of the Lancelot Albion flinging the Tristan Divider backward. Suzaku rushed forward, swinging his MVS, but was parried by the Tristan. Suzaku triggered his energy wings and shot out the hole in the wall, Gino following him and attacking again.

The two clashed, spun, and clashed again, moving in blurs and clashing again and again. Suzaku pulled upward, looking down on Gino.

"It doesn't matter how strong you've made your machine, you won't beat me!" Suzaku shouted.

Gino grinned. "We'll see about that!" He replied, gunning the flight system and flinging himself past the Lancelot, slashing as he went. Suzaku parried, spun and shot forward to attack Gino again. Gino parried and launched a Slash Harken. However, Suzaku did a barrel roll under this and slashed upward, breaking the Tristan's sword before slashing it in two.

"Then this is the result, Gino." Suzaku said as he flew past.

Gino smirked. "No, you're wrong, Suzaku. I've done what I came to do."

"What?" Suzaku spun, and saw that the Tristan Divider's Slash Harken hadn't been aimed at him after all.

It had squarely impaled one of the Blaze Luminous shield generators, opening a hole in the shield for a moment. This hole was currently being held open by radiant waves from the Guren S.E.I.T.E.N.'s Radiant Wave Arm.

"Suzaku… I've come to end this: our continually crossing paths." Kallen's amplified voice echoed through the air.

Gino smirked as the Tristan Divider's power gave out, and it crashed into the side of the Damocles.

…...

Whirring of land spinners echoed down the hallway, and Monica prepared the Lamorak's Hadron Cannons. As the first silhouette of a Knightmare came into view from around the bend, she fired, filling the hallway with a destructive wave of crimson energy. She could hear the explosions of damaged Knightmares as a cloud of smoke covered the hallway.

However, when the smoke cleared, a strange looking Vincent Ward was still standing, a Blaze Luminous covering it, shielding it from the blast.

The strange Vincent Ward looked mostly like other Knightmares of its class. However, instead of wielding two MVS Lances, it wielded a single, gigantic Maser Vibration Buster Sword. This was colored a deep purple, matching the color of the Vincent that wielded it. In addition, there was an odd slit in the center of the Vincent Ward's chest, as if it was supposed to fold back.

A familiar, mechanically amplified voice rang out through the corridor.

"Hello again, Monica. I see you've been well since we last met. However, I intend to change that. Don't take it personally." Said Dietrich, smirking.

…...

Monica grimaced. "You." She said.

"Me. Since you so badly damaged the Lionel, we had it rebuilt into the Lionel Gamma, the Knightmare you see before you. Well then, I'm just dying to test out its new capabilities. However, I won't be the one dying in a short while." With this, Dietrich lunged forward, slashing the MVBS upward from the Lionel Gamma's right side, where it had sat idly before now. The Lionel was much faster than before, and Monica only barely managed to raise the arm-mounted Blaze Luminous shield in time to parry the strike. Even still, the massive size of the MVBS sent the Lamorak skidding backward into the wall, and sent it falling into the open air outside. Monica only barely managed to trigger the flight system before the Lionel Gamma was already falling toward it, slashing downward with the MVBS. Monica quickly cut power to the left side of the flight system, spinning the Lamorak out of the way just in time. She quickly fired one of the MVS Harkens downward, but this was beaten aside by the Lionel as it turned again and shot upward, this time firing several Slash Harkens at the Lamorak before attempting to bisect it.

Monica cut all power to the flight system, and dropped, evading the strike. She flipped over the Lamorak in midair, and launched the Hadron Cannons upward at the Lionel as it again turned to attack. The two beams converged in midair, forming a single, massive torrent of energy that shot toward Dietrich and his Knightmare.

The loud, echoing laughter of the former Duke rang through the air as he slashed downward with his sword, the sheer amount of energy it was putting out deflecting the beam in two halves around the Lionel.

"W-what! Impossible!" Monica cried out in surprise. The MVS Harken had clanked back into place, so Monica fired both of them at the now-oncoming Lionel.

Dietrich's MVBS had been pushed slightly to the right by deflecting the Hadron Cannon, so it raised its left elbow, a large silver box sliding outward and slamming into the MVS Harkens, releasing a wave of blue energy that sent them flying backward, striking the Lamorak's arms roughly as they retracted.

"Damn it! He has Needle Blazers?" Monica cursed in surprise.

The Lionel dropped as the Lamorak leveled out, and swung the MVBS in from the right. Monica blocked this with the Lamorak's left arm, using the sheathed MVS Harken combined with the Blaze Luminous shield to catch the blow. Monica smirked.

"Got you!" Monica shouted in triumph, launching both the right MVS Harken and the hip-mounted Slash Harkens at point blank range into the Lionel. The MVS Harken impaled its left arm at the elbow, completely destroying the Needle Blazer and ripping off its hand. The other Slash Harkens did light damage to the rest of the frame.

The Lionel shot upward, landing on the side of the Damocles. Now it was the Lamorak's turn to shoot upward, slashing with the still-retracting right MVS Harken and batting aside the MVBS, its colossal weight now only held feebly in a single hand. She stabbed forward with the left MVS Harken and ripped off the main chest armor plate. However, what was below this plate gave Monica only enough time to raise the left hand Blaze Luminous shield and leap backward, letting out a cry of surprise as a single, massive Hadron Cannon charged and fired from the now-open chest of the Lionel.

…...

Red light from the battle above shone overhead as Suzaku and Kallen faced each other.

"Kallen. Are you determined to defy me?" Suzaku checked the Albion's energy levels. Despite the battles he'd been fighting before this, he still had enough energy left to fight.

"Yes. It's clear to me now I misjudged you, Suzaku. Even though we're on opposite sides and our methods differ from one another, I always thought that you cared about Japan in your own way. And now…" Kallen trailed off, glaring angrily at the Lancelot Albion that stood in front of her own Guren S.E.I.T.E.N.

"There's something that I… That Lelouch and I have to do." Suzaku replied determinedly.

"I see. So you really crave power that much. In that case…" Kallen readied the Radiant Wave Arm.

Suzaku raised his own VARIS Rifle, aiming it at the Guren. "In that case, what?"

"In that case, you mustn't be allowed to live, Suzaku!" Kallen finished, her anger easily detectable in her voice. "I'm going to defeat you and stop Lelouch!"

"No. That won't happen!" Suzaku said, his eyes becoming red-rimmed as his "Live!" Geass activated.

Two sets of energy wings suddenly activated, and so their duel began. The two clashed repeatedly, soaring over and through the Damocles superstructure, each unable to land a hit on the other. Still they fought on, both using up or losing their weaponry bit by bit. Soon the two simply clashed with only Slash Harkens and their own machines' fists.

Meanwhile, below them lay the Tristan.

"Damn it Tristan, move it!" Gino growled, trying to bring back his damaged machine. "Come on…"

A flash of light lit up the air above him, and he looked up just in time to see the Lancelot Albion exploding in a shower of debris and the Guren falling, Kallen still inside it.

"NO!" Gino exclaimed, and smashed his hand down on the control board.

"Backup power systems, online." A computerized voice echoed through the cockpit as the Tristan again rose, taking flight.

"Almost there!" Gino exclaimed, rushing upward to intercept the falling form of the Guren. A metallic thud echoed through the air as he caught it, and began to slowly drift downward through the now broken Blaze Luminous shield of the Damocles.

"Heh. You won. You beat him, Kallen." Gino said, looking wistfully back at the cloud of smoke that now held whatever remained of his old friend Suzaku.

…...

Another Knightmare was falling too. The Lamorak, badly charred and trailing smoke fell backward in the wake of a massive Hadron blast. Above it was the Lionel, dropping downward in a desperate attempt to plunge its now-useless sword through the Lamorak.

"No… Damn it, I can't lose here!" Monica shouted, firing off all Slash Harkens at the last moment and entangling the MVBS, several of the projectiles entirely impaling it. The blade broke, falling from the Lionel in several pieces as both machines leveled out. The Lamorak shot forward, slashing at the Lionel with its left MVS Harken still sheathed. In response, the Lionel opened its right Needle Blazer and fired a wave of energy. The Needle Blazer blew a large chunk out of the Lamorak's arm, dropping movement ability offline, however, the Lamorak's MVS Harken bisected the Needle Blazer, a blast of flame from the destroyed systems tearing apart the Lionel's right elbow.

"Damn you, Knight of Twelve!" Dietrich swore. Both machines were running low on power and heavily damaged, sparks flying freely from their exposed systems. Monica grimaced. She needed to end the fight within a minute, or else she wouldn't have time to land the Lamorak.

"I can tell by the appearance of your Knightmare Frame that both of us are running low on energy. What do you say we end this fight right now?" Monica shouted over the intercom. Her Hadron Cannons opened up and began to charge, red energy dancing between the two prongs as it focused on the Lionel.

"I accept your challenge, then! Take this!" Dietrich shouted, his own Hadron Gamma similarly charging.

With two loud, ear-piercing blasts, all three weapons fired and filled the sky with brilliant red light. The two Hadron blasts from the Lamorak converged and struck the torrent of energy from the Lionel in a single ray of catastrophic destructive power. However, their combined might was slowly pushed aside by the Hadron Gamma as the Lionel poured a constant stream of power into its attack.

"I'm not losing! Full power!" Monica cried, slamming forward a lever that controlled the power of the Lamorak's Hadron Cannons. As she did this, the wave of cataclysmic energy coming from the Lamorak grew much larger, beginning to overpower the Hadron Gamma and push the entire force of the energy back at the Lionel.

"No! Impossible! The Hadron Gamma was supposed to be stronger than anything but the Mordred!" Dietrich exclaimed in shock.

"In your machine's current state? I'm surprised you could even fire while staying above the ground!" Monica shouted, continuing the flow of power into the weapon. Already the red energy was licking at the Lionel's frame. "SAY YOUR PRAYERS!" Monica roared as the combined energy of all of the Hadron cannons completely engulfed the Lionel. Dietrich's curses as his ejection cockpit dropped down toward the sea were the last things Monica heard of him over the earthshaking roar of the colossal explosion where the Lionel had been.

Red warning lights matched the fading blast of red energy. Monica had won, but now she needed to get to safety on the Damocles before the Lamorak shut down.

"Alright… I just have to make it…" Monica murmured, taking all remaining power and placing it in the flight system. However, just as she was about to rise, a flash of purple light much brighter than even the destructive nova that had engulfed the Lionel suddenly engulfed her vision. Looking down, she saw a F.L.E.I.J.A. explosion where her allies had been hovering.

"What! A warhead? But that would mean-" Monica exclaimed in surprise, but was cut off by an echoing message broadcast over the entire battlefield.

"Attention entire world, hear my proclamation!" Echoed the voice of the victor. "I am Lelouch vi Britannia, emperor of the Holy Britannian Empire, and your only ruler! Schneizel has surrendered to me. As a result of this, I am now in control of both the Damocles, and the F.L.E.I.J.A. weapons. And even the Black Knights no longer possess the strength to oppose me now. If anyone dares to disobey my authority, they shall know the devastating power of the F.L.E.I.J.A.s. Those who could challenge my military rule no longer exist. Yes. From this day, from this moment forward, the world belongs to ME! Lelouch vi Britannia commands you…" Lelouch said, the image of himself displayed on Monica's communication screen stretching its arm out wide and gesturing to the camera. "OBEY ME SUBJECTS, OBEY ME… WORLD!" He roared.

The Britannian forces were roaring now in victory, their cries of "All hail Lelouch!" drowning out all other sound.

"Damn it… we lost?" Monica murmured in surprise.

However, her flight system was failing now, and running on emergency power alone, the Lamorak began to fall downward toward the Earth now controlled by her mortal enemy.

"Curse you… Lelouch.. Vi… Britannia…" Monica gasped. Then, with a loud crunch, the Lamorak finally reached the ground and skidded to a stop in a clearing in the woods outside of the Tokyo Settlement.

The battle was over, and Monica had failed.

…...

Author's Note: This was a fun chapter to write. Again, I'd like to request that you review. I want to know if anyone is even interested in this story, or if I'm just updating pointlessly. This is really fun, but I'd like to know that I have some fans who are interested in my writing, so please review! Thank you for reading, and good night!


	7. Chapter 7: Sanctuary

Author's Note: Hello, everyone! I'd just like to thank all of my readers for helping me achieve a grand total of 700 people who have viewed this story! Now that that's said and done, let's get started on chapter 7!

Disclaimer: I don't own Code Geass, although Dietrich, the Lamorak, and the Lionel are all my own creations.

…...

Trees were pushed aside or had their branches roughly broken as a squadron of Akatsuki Class Knightmare Frames tore through the woods like a scythe through grass.

"Hurry! We have to get into the cave system at the center of this forest, or the Vincent Ward interceptor groups will cut us off!" Came the voice of the squadron commander over the intercom.

"Sir, we have a Vincent group coming over the treetops from the west! If we halt here and stay below cover, they might not detect us!" The Knightmares at the vanguard heeded this advice and began hastily hiding below the tall trees.

"Alright, sir, the coast is clear!" At this, the Knightmares rose and continued their mad flight, tearing through the woods and coming out in a clearing at the foot of a large, rocky grotto.

However, the clearing was anything but empty. At the center, lying sparking in a large crater, was the badly battered form of a green Knightmare frame. The cockpit was hanging open, and slumped against the side of the fallen machine was a form wrapped in both a muddied green cloak and unkempt strands of golden hair. The vanguard immediately raised their weapons and spread out, prepared to reduce both the unconscious pilot and the damaged Knightmare Frame to nothing but a memory and a flaming wreck.

"Hold your fire!" Ordered the commander. "That's the Knight of Twelve! She's on our side."

"Sir, what should we do, then? We can't just leave her lying here for those hunter squadrons to find." The commander sighed.

"Tanaka, Shirou, gather up the Lamorak and the Knight of Twelve. We're taking her with us."

…...

Drip. Drip.

Voices. The sound of movement of both Humans and machines.

Drip. Drip.

Darkness.

Drip. Drip.

Monica opened her eyes, brushing the water dripping slowly from the ceiling of the grotto off her forehead, and shook herself slightly. Immediately, pangs of pain tore through her head, and she noted with irritation that there was already a large lump on her head where her head had struck the top of the Lamorak's cockpit.

The Lamorak! Where had it gone? She certainly hadn't crashed here, had she? As these thoughts ran through her head, she took in her surroundings, and noted that she was in a cave. All around her were Black Knight Akatsukis lying dormant as mechanics and medics ran about, tending to both the injured soldiers and damaged machines. Across the cave, several of these mechanics were gathered around her own Knightmare, already in the process of repairing it.

Monica looked slightly to the side, catching movement close by, and saw a man in a Black Knights uniform with a single line on the front of his left shoulder, signifying his status as a squad commander, striding quickly toward her.

"Greetings, Knight of Twelve." The man said, giving a slight salute. Monica gave him a look of curiosity and opened her mouth to speak, but the man spoke first. "We found you and your Knightmare Frame crashed in the clearing outside. Since Lelouch's soldiers are now scouring the area searching for anyone who fled instead of surrendered, we had to hide both ourselves and you inside this cave." The man said. "My name is Mifune. I'm the captain of the former 16th unit. The remnants of us and the 17th are the forces you see around you."

"That's right," Monica thought, "we lost."

"So what are you planning to do?" She asked, looking up at Mifune. He sighed, and seated himself on a rock opposite the one she herself was propped against.

"Well, we can't do much but wait until we have our Knightmares fixed right now. Hopefully, we'll be able to finish repairs before the week is out, since the prisoners of the battle are being transferred then from a prison near Mt. Fuji to the Tokyo Settlement. If we could break them out then, we'd have a fighting chance again, but…" Mifune trailed off.

"That sounds like a plan. Do we have any especially skilled pilots with us? Any custom Knightmare Frames?" Monica asked.

"No." Mifune shook his head. "All of those were either captured or destroyed in the battle for the Damocles, as far as we know."

Monica felt a twist in her stomach as she realized that this meant that Gino, the one who had saved her life, was now in danger of losing his own. Others, too, who had rebelled against Lelouch, like the Black Knights who had rescued her from the Britannian fleet, were now going to be killed.

"I owe my life to the people who you intend to rescue. I'll help you as best I can." Monica said, standing up slowly and brushing the dirt off her Rounds cloak and her uniform. "But for now, what do we have in the way of rations?"

"Quite a bit. Our units were tasked with helping with the evacuation of a damaged airship. We escaped with plenty of supplies, as you can probably see." Mifune gestured to the quickly emptying crates of various supplies, like food, medical equipment, and spare parts. Monica noted that the Britannian flag was emblazoned on them.

"Excellent. Then we stand a chance. Tell me, are there any exits from this grotto other than the entrance by which we arrived?" Monica asked, looking around.

"Yes. There's a long tunnel at the opposite end of the cave. It comes out near the west side of Mt. Fuji." Mifune pointed across the cave, where, sure enough, there was a dark tunnel stretching away from the rest of the cave.

"The west side? Is there anything I should know about near the exit?" Monica counted the number of Knightmare Frames they had while awaiting an answer.

"Yes. The exit is in a wooded area, and there's a small military installation built just downhill from there." Mifune gave Monica a curious look. "Why? What are you planning?"

"Captain Mifune, we have everything we need here to both acquisition more Knightmare Frames and recover the prisoners. That usurper Lelouch won't see it coming." Monica smirked.

"If you say so." Mifune shrugged. "I defer to you, then, Knight of Twelve."

"I have a few more questions. What notable pilots and Knightmares does Lelouch have on his side?" Monica asked. "And please, just call me Monica."

"Very well then. In answer to your question, Lelouch has almost nothing in that regard. The Sutherland Sieg was destroyed by Anya Alstreim, and Kallen Kozuki destroyed the Lancelot Albion and killed its pilot at the cost of her own machine. She also took out the Lancelot Frontier, although its pilot lived. Normally, he'd be able to put the Mordred and the Tristan Divider into use, but both are so heavily damaged that they'll both be difficult to repair."

"That's good news. Without any of his aces, my plan will work perfectly." Monica sat back down on the rock, and smiled.

…...

Author's Note: Sorry for the dull, action-less chapter, and for the disappointing length, but I felt this was a good place to stop. The next chapter will be awesome, however, so keep on the look out for it! Thanks for reading, please tell me how I'm doing, and have a nice day!


	8. Chapter 8: The Empire is Struck Back

Author's Note: Alright! I'm just going to say it here and now. This chapter will be awesome. Now that that's said, let the story commence!

Disclaimer: I don't own Code Geass.

…...

The days passed quickly in the cave. Mifune had given Monica command of the unit, and so she'd been busy setting up for her plan.

Monica sighed, brushing her hair out of her eyes, and looked down at the object before her. It was a massive cylinder, held up by several supports. Inside was a coil to launch a high-voltage barrage of energy when turned on. This would be essential to her plans.

A call of "Monica!" rang across the cave. She turned, and saw a group of her soldiers returning into the cave and dismounting from their Knightmares. She nodded to the mechanics adding the finishing touches to the Electron Cannon, and turned to leave, striding over to the soldiers who had just returned. A man dropped from his machine and saluted her.

"We set out all the Vincent Ward parts in the clearing outside, along with a few Akatsuki parts, then covered them with a tarp, just as you ordered. I really don't understand what you're planning here, though, Monica." The man said.

"Excellent. We have everything we need then. The prisoners will be moved from their current prison camp back to the Tokyo Settlement in two hours.

"Alright, everyone, prepare to move out!" Monica called. "We strike back within the hour!"

…...

Smoke rose from the forest, as if there was a fire there. This was noticed by a wing of Vincent Ward pilots scouting for enemy soldiers, and so they quickly moved toward the smoke cloud, reporting what they'd seen and their actions as they did so.

Lelouch looked at the area map on the bridge of his current flagship, the Victory. Several dots, symbolizing his thirteenth scout wing, were pulling off of pattern toward a cloud of smoke that had appeared.

"It looks like we might have found the rebels. All hands, stay on alert." Lelouch ordered over the ship intercom.

Something wasn't right.

…...

As the Vincent Wards came in for a landing, a shocking sight met their eyes. The clearing they were landing in was scorched and pocked with craters. Rubble from at least a full wing of Vincent Wards littered the ground, along with the distinctive armor of the Black Knights' Akatsuki Frames.

"Emperor, sir, it looks like there was a battle here." The commander of the Vincent Ward squadron reported. "With your permission, I'll investigate. The rebels can't have gone far."

"Permission granted. Report in as soon as you see th-" The transmission was cut off. The commander looked up in surprise to see the barrel of a massive weapon pointed at his squadron. He tried to report in, but his communications were being jammed.

A burst of light tore through the glade, and all systems of his machine shut down. The stench of smoke and burnt machinery filled his nostrils as his energy filler overloaded and shut down.

Then, light filled the cockpit of the Knightmare as the door was wrenched open and a man in a Black Knight's uniform leaped in. The last thing the soldier felt was a bullet piercing his throat.

…...

Monica smirked, watching as her own men took control of the disabled Vincent Wards and placed new energy fillers into them.

"Very good. Now return to position. Say you engaged a group of rebels, and they're on the run deeper into the woods. The 16th and I will move downhill and attack the base. Likely, you'll be called in for support. Wait for my signal to attack." Monica said over the radio before leaping into the repaired Lamorak and powering up. The rest of her men did so as well, and the pilots without their own machines rode on the backs of the Akatsukis, hiding behind the large heads.

"Alright, move! Stay under cover and advance on the base! Once we get within range, destroy the walls with mortars and enter! Don't give them a chance to mount a defense!" Monica ordered before triggering her land spinners and tearing into the woods, her own men behind her.

…...

Lelouch blinked as his Vincent Wards' IFF signals shut down, then blinked back on.

"Unit 13, what happened?" Lelouch asked. A voice replied, but it was hardly audible over a heavy crackle.

"It was an ambush. A group of rebels jammed our communications and tried to take us out. They're on the run, but they're still trying to block radio signals. Apologies, my emperor. Shall we pursue?" The man asked.

"Yes. Do so. Which direction are the enemy forces moving in?" Lelouch asked.

"Uphill, sir. It looks like they're moving to the peak of Mt. Fuji." The man replied.

"Very good. I'll have my own airship cut them off for you. Victory out." Lelouch cut the communications channel, and opened his own ship intercom.

"Move above Ft. Fuji, and standby. We need to block off the enemy's avenue of escape. All forces, move to battle positions!" Lelouch ordered. "Vincent Ward wings, move into position around Mt. Fuji! Encircle the enemy forces!"

…...

"Open fire, now!" Monica ordered. She was answered by a chorus of mortar fire as her men shattered the northern wall of the enemy base and then tore from cover. Sirens rang through the air and a few base defense turrets tried to gun then down, but these were shattered by a long burst from her Hadron Cannons. The Akatsukis were already swarming into the base by the time the distress call from it reached the Victory.

…...

"Roger that. I'll send support." Lelouch opened a channel to the 13th Vincent Ward Unit. "Unit 13, the Fuji base is under attack. Cease pursuit and lift off. Give the base air support."

"Yes, your majesty!" Replied the voice. Several purple shapes were already rising from the forest.

"This is odd. The enemies are remarkably coordinated…" Lelouch mused, twirling a black king piece from a chess set in the palm of his hand. Suddenly, his eyes opened wide.

"The voice I just spoke to was covered by radio static even after it abandoned pursuit. That's not the effects of a radio jammer, that's a phony!" Lelouch exclaimed aloud. "Victory, train all cannons on the-" He was cut off by a blast of energy and the quivering of the airship.

"Sir! A concentrated burst of energy has just been fired at us from below! It's taken out two of out flight systems, and our defenses!" One of the members of his bridge crew reported.

"So that was their plan… Deploy all Knightmare Frames! Defend the Victory!" Lelouch commanded.

…...

"Alright, you've played along for long enough! 17th Unit, board the Victory before they can scramble defenses! Kill the emperor!" Monica ordered. The response to this was a barrage of weapon fire above as her own men broke from the enemy ranks and began ripping apart the still-gathering guards of the Victory.

Monica watched as her own forces ransacked the hangar, the pilots who hadn't come with their own Knightmares stealing the Vincent Wards and Gareths in the hangar, then lifting off to assault the Victory. She followed, landing in the hangar of the massive ship and beginning to rocket down the hallways with her soldiers behind her in wedge formation, ripping through any defenses the enemies could muster.

"Alright! We're directly below the bridge! Everyone, stand back!" Monica ordered, then fired her Hadron Cannons upward, completely obliterating the bridge and its crew.

"This ship is going down in flames!" A man shouted over the radio.

"We've done what we came to do! Pull out!" Monica ordered.

…...

The Knightmares fled the crashing Victory like rats from a sinking ship, pouring from it as it went down in flames and slammed into the ground before going up in a fireball.

"I… did it. I killed Lelouch. I did my duty." Monica murmured, looking back on the wreck and grinning. However, an alert made her look up. The entire enemy force of Vincent Wards were rushing forward in wedge formation, beginning to open fire on them. Several Akatsukis and stolen enemy Knightmares were being destroyed.

"Fold outward, then split their ranks in two." Monica commanded, and watched as her forces did such. The tip of the wedge was already surrounded by her own men. Monica grinned, and gunned the flight system, rapidly rising. She aimed her Hadron Cannons downward, and opened fire again, ripping apart the ranks. Meanwhile, Mifune and the rest of her forces were already scattering the enemies in the back of the wedge.

A small caravan was below them, quickly moving back toward the prison camp.

"Alright! 17th unit, pull off! We're going to intercept the prisoners and free them!" Monica ordered. She watched as several members of her squad dived, moving in quickly for the caravan. Monica herself followed.

Monica only survived what happened next due to her height. As the Knightmares pulled in, two things happened at once.

The caravan erupted in flames, a towering pillar of fire almost completely wiping out her forces.

"Damn it! It was a trick! All forces, retreat into the woods! We need to return to safety!" Monica ordered as the last of the enemy Knightmares was destroyed.

Quickly, all of the Knightmares broke formation and fled like insects before the coming storm. A Britannian fleet was on its way, and they had to escape.

…...

Soon, they'd managed to return to their hideout, and they began packing up all their supplies so they could flee. However, a blast of light suddenly ripped through the main entrance, and Britannian Knightmares began to drive in. At the front of them was a black Gareth, and standing in its cockpit was none other than emperor Lelouch vi Britannia.

"WHAT? HOW ARE YOU ALIVE?" Monica roared, leaping into the Lamorak as all of her men mounted up as well.

"Quite simple. You killed a decoy. I expected you would make your move soon, so I left that base you invaded almost entirely abandoned. I ordered the Victory from a remote location. You didn't seriously think I'd have played right into your hands like that, did you?" Lelouch smirked. "And now that half of your forces have been destroyed and you have nowhere to go, you have no option but to surrender. Do so, and I will spare your lives." Lelouch said as his men began to enter through the back as well, completely surrounding Monica's meager forces.

Silence reigned in the cavern as the two forces faced off.

"Like hell I will, you usurper!" Monica shouted, firing her MVS Harkens and bringing down the ceiling above Lelouch and his men to punctuate this reply.

"All forces, on me! Wedge formation! We're getting out of here!" Monica ordered as her men dropped into position and began to rip through the enemy forces blocking their only route of escape. Explosions echoed up and down the cavernous tunnel as they made a desperate rush for freedom and safety.

Soon, they rushed into the light, and began tearing down forest paths to the bottom of Mt. Fuji, the enemy forces hot on their heels. Monica smirked.

"We're in position! Spring the trap now!" Monica ordered.

…...

Lelouch watched from his Gareth as his soldiers chased down the rebels. They were almost upon them already. Soon, Monica Kruszewski and her rogue band would be nothing but a memory and would no longer pose any threat of hindering his Zero Requiem.

However, the sound of an explosion a rumbling noise broke Lelouch from his reverie. He looked behind him and saw that the base uphill from him and his forces had been rigged with explosives. Its ammunition dumps had now been destroyed, and a landslide was tumbling down upon both him and his men. He lifted off just in time to escape the oncoming tide of dirt. His men weren't so lucky.

"Damn it! Retreat for now!" Lelouch ordered.

"I was outmaneuvered? Maybe I misjudged them…" Lelouch thought as he looked back upon the fleeing forces of his enemies.

No matter, he reasoned, he'd be able to pick them off at a later date.

…...

Monica looked back as the enemy forces retreated, and smirked.

"Congratulations, men. We've just beaten off the forces of the Britannian emperor!" Monica said over the intercom. Loud cheers and yells of victory came as a reply. "Good work, everyone. Now, let's make for the Seidou ghetto outside of the Tokyo Settlement. We can go underground there until we're ready to make another strike at the Britannians." Monica ordered, taking the lead and moving across open ground for her next destination.

Although she was happy she'd been able to survive, the victory felt hollow. They hadn't saved the prisoners, they hadn't killed Lelouch… All they'd succeeded in doing was striking a feeble blow and then fleeing again.

Deep in her heart she knew that she wouldn't get another chance to save her friends.

…...

Author's Note: I feel I might have gotten Lelouch a bit OOC in this chapter, since he was technically out-gambited by Monica, although he actually won in a way. Please review and tell me how I'm doing, guys, I want your opinions. Have a nice day, everyone, and thanks for reading!


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